| Mexican Summer | |
| Founder: | Keith Abrahamsson and Andres Santo Domingo |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Location: | Brooklyn, New York |
Mexican Summer is an independent record label founded in 2009 by Keith Abrahamsson and Andres Santo Domingo.[1] Based in Brooklyn, New York, the label has released recordings from artists including Best Coast, Kurt Vile, Ariel Pink, Allah-Las, Weyes Blood, Connan Mockasin, Jessica Pratt, and Cate Le Bon. The label is named after the song "Mexican Summer" by Marissa Nadler.[2]
In 2013, described the label as "a bastion for experimental pop, not to mention a model for successful music publishing in the 21st century."[3]
Mexican Summer began in fall 2008 as a subscription service for limited edition, ornately packaged vinyl pieces.[4] On September 2, 2008, they released their first 12" vinyl single Sätt Att Se, from the Swedish rock band, Dungen. “I think the whole idea of Mexican Summer really just came because I wanted to try to develop artists in a different way,” said Abrahamsson. The label continued to add bands to its roster, including early releases from Washed Out, Real Estate, Kurt Vile, and The Tallest Man on Earth.
In October 2009 Mexican Summer opened Co-Op 87,[5] a brick and mortar store in Greenpoint with several other record labels, an idea Santo Domingo called a "vinyl co-op store."[6] In 2011, the label established a recording studio in the same location, Gary's Electric. A second record store, Brooklyn Record Exchange, was opened in March 2019 in Bushwick.
In 2011, Mexican Summer and Kemado Records introduced a new subsidiary label called Software Recording Co. (2011–2016). It was run by Daniel Lopatin, who records under the name Oneohtrix Point Never. Software Recording Co. focused mainly on experimental electronic and dance music.[7] The label's inaugural release was a collaborative album with Lopatin and Joel Ford, Channel Pressure. In March 2016, the label released their final album, Arcology, from Thug Entrancer.
Over the years, Mexican Summer has expanded its catalog to over 200 releases across multiple formats. The label's roster includes releases from Tamaryn, Allah-Las, The Alps, Weekend, and No Joy. One of the label's largest successes was the 2010 release of Crazy For You, the debut album from Best Coast. Additionally, Weyes Blood released her second album, The Innocents (October 2014), and her third album, Front Row Seat to Earth (October 2016), which was met with great acclaim throughout the music industry.[8] In September 2017, Ariel Pink released his first solo LP on the label, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson.
Mexican Summer also launched Anthology Recordings in 2014 as its reissue imprint, serving vinyl and formats unforeseen.[9]
Since 2014, Mexican Summer and contemporary arts nonprofit Ballroom Marfa have organized the annual music festival and multidisciplinary cultural program, Marfa Myths, held in Marfa, Texas. Marfa Myths showcases established and emerging artists, with notable performers including Roky Erickson, Annette Peacock, Pharoah Sanders, Kelsey Lu, Deerhunter, Amen Dunes, No Age, and Wire.[10]
In November 2018, Mexican Summer celebrated the label's 10th anniversary with "A Decade Deeper," an all day festival at Pioneer Works, a cultural center in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Performers included Ariel Pink, Allah-Las, Tonstartssbandht, F.J. McMahon, Quilt, Jess Williamson, Drugdealer, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Part Time, Pill, Arp, Dungen, Cate Le Bon, Photay, and Ben Steidel.
The label is distributed in the United States through Caroline Distribution by way of Universal Music Group, and in the United Kingdom and Europe through The Orchard.
Anthology Recordings is a reissue imprint. The label was founded by Mexican Summer A&R man, Keith Abrahamsson, in 2004, and has reissued records from artists such as Trad Gras Och Stenar, Linda Perhacs, and Rüdiger Lorenz, among others.[13]
In 2016, Anthology Recordings expanded its repertoire, and began publishing books under the imprint, Anthology Editions.